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Black Cloud: The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928

1 rating: 2.0

2003 non-fiction book

Description The great hurricane of 1928 claimed 2,500 lives, and the long-forgotten story of the casualties, as told in Black Cloud, continues to stir passion. Among the dead were 700 black Floridians—men, women, and children who were buried in an unmarked … see full wiki

Tags: Books, Nonfiction, Weather, Disasters, Hurricanes

Author: Eliot Kleinberg

Genre: Hurricanes, Atmospheric Sciences

Publisher: Basic

Date Published: July 2003

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Compelling account of devasting 1928 hurricane.

Dec 13, 2008

by drifter51

Rating:

Do you ever stop and shake your head at all of the apartment complexes, condominiums, beachfront homes and commercial enterprises that have sprung up all along the coastline? It would seem that many Americans are unaware of or have become indifferent to the danger posed by hurricanes. In "Black Cloud: The Great Hurricane of 1928" author Eliot Kleinberg describes the horrors of the second deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. An estimated 7000 people were killed in its wake. Kleinberg describes the unique set of circumstances in 1928 Florida that caused the overwhelming majority of the casualties to occur inland near Lake Okeechobee.

The author provides the fascinating history that led to the draining of the Everglades, and the ill-advised construction of a flimsy dike around Lake Okeechobee that contributed in a huge way to the incomprehensible loss of life that occured during this storm. As is true in a great many disasters, what occured here was the unfortunate combination of a great many circumstances. I found the book to be fairly well written and for the most part easy to follow. And as you might expect, race played a major role in how the situation was handled by both public officials and the population at large. If you are a history buff or are fascinated with natural disasters as I am "Black Cloud: The Great Hurricane of 1928" is certainly a book you should consider. Recommended